WALTHAM — After Kevin Garnett played 30 minutes in his return from a knee injury, Doc Rivers said he will not limit his playing time. Garnett practiced with the Celtics on Saturday and Rivers will continue to keep him on the court.

“Someone asked me before the game if there was a minute restriction, and there wasn’t,” Rivers said. “Again, this was something totally different from last year’s injury. That’s why we were really not concerned about the minutes. Our whole concern with him minute-wise was more conditioning. It had nothing to do with the knee.”

Garnett scored 13 points (4-9 FG, 5-5 FT) and grabbed four rebounds in his first game back on Friday against the Trail Blazers since hyperextending his knee in December.

Ray Allen said the key to overcome his sluggish night from the field and the free throw line was keeping mentally focused.

And that seemed a might tall order considering he had missed 11-of-13 shots before the biggest shot he took of the night. It came with 41.3 seconds remaining in overtime and the Trail Blazers leading, 95-93.

“I knew I was close,” Allen said. “There wasn’t anything wrong with my form or my mechanics. It was just the ball needed to go in. I had a shot where I hit the glass [on bank shot] and it just kinda hit the glass and rolled off and it was like, ‘Geez.’ It just wasn’t working for me.

“Mentally, I had to whatever I could to help this team win and just be prepared because you never know when that ball drifts in your direction and you’ve got to be ready to shoot.”

The fact that the shot found the bottom of the basket surprised no one. After all, he was due. And less than a minute earlier, he nearly had a shot rattle home but it ‘toilet bowled’ out as Allen himself described it.

BOSTON ‘ Brian Scalabrine expects to miss nearly a week with a separated right shoulder, he told WEEI.com following the Celtics ‘ Trail Blazers game. He did not play on Friday night and aims to return next Thursday against the Magic in Orlando.

Scalabrine initially suffered the injury on January 6 against the Heat while trailing Michael Beasley on a pick. However, he wanted to maximize his opportunity in Kevin Garnett’s absence and played the next seven games with the injury.

‘The only thing that was hard was when I play defense, I used my forearms to create space so the guy can’t feel my body. I couldn’t do it with this side so it was just a minor disadvantage,’ he explained. ‘You have to learn to play with your feet a little more instead of using your body, your spacing, stuff like that. But I think hopefully these next couple of days it’ll get better.’

It wasn’t until the pain became unbearable during Wednesday’s game against the Pistons that he decided to undergo an MRI. On Thursday, Scalabrine learned he had a Grade 2 AC joint injury, which he says, ‘is not a major separation.’

‘The best way to describe it is it feels like a sprained ankle in your shoulder,’ he said. ‘So it doesn’t hurt all the time, but it hurts when it’s in certain positions.’

This is the first shoulder injury Scalabrine has suffered during his career. He will ice his shoulder for treatment and anticipates being able to practice in the next three days.

Scalabrine averaged 9.0 points and 4.0 rebounds as a starter in three games this season.

The Celtics expected energy from their big man and this game had plenty of it.

On paper, the combination of KG’s comeback plus homecourt advantage gave the Celtics a clear edge over the Brandon Roy-less Trail Blazers. But nothing has been a sure bet for the C’s as of late and they struggled yet again in the second half to put together four solid quarters of basketball.

The Celtics blundered an 11-point lead, trailed down the stretch, but eventually forced overtime. All they needed was five more minutes to put away the Trail Blazers, 98-85, to snap their three-game losing streak and reclaim control at home.

Player of the Game: Credit Paul Pierce (24 points) for carrying through regulation before fouling out in the final seconds, and then give kudos to Ray Allen in overtime. It is unusual when a player who shoots 3-for-14 from the field is named Player of the Game, but in this instance it was the one who struggled the most that had the biggest impact when it mattered. He drained a three-pointer late in overtime to put the Celtics up by one … and they never looked back.

Turning Point: Let’s start with regulation. Martell Webster hit a long jumper to tie the game at 91 apiece with less than a minute in the fourth. Rondo fought through a cluster of Trail Blazers to snag the rebound at top of the key. Pierce drove the lane on an attempted game-winning layin and instead was whistled for his sixth foul. The Trail Blazers failed to connect and the game headed to overtime.

In OT, Ray Allen made up for a poor offensive performance and hit a critical 3-pointer to put the Celtics up 96-95. Tony Allen beat out LaMarcus Alridge on a steal, sending Aldridge tumbling into the broadcasters table. Tony Allen slammed it home and gave the Celtics a final three-point lead.

– Garnett played 30 minutes in his first game back since December 28. He posted 13 points (4-for-9 FG, 5-5 FG), four rebounds, three assists, and two blocks. He was also whistled for five fouls.

– In spite of hitting the the key go-ahead bucket, Allen scored less than 10 points for the third time in the past four games.

– The Celtics were outscored on second chance points (22-8) for the third time in four games. They were outscored 12-0 by the Pistons on Wednesday and 16-2 by the Bulls last week.

– The Trail Blazers bench did not score until just over three minutes left in the second half. Their reserves were outscored 29-11 by the Celtics.

Doc Rivers was asked for his reaction before Friday’s game to the $25,000 fine doled out to Glen Davis for his obscenity-laced response to a fan in Detroit on Wednesday night.

“I have no reaction,” Rivers answered initially.

But then, as he always does, Rivers offered more perspective.

“It was high,” he added. “I thought it was extreme but I do understand, I get it,” Rivers said.

Rivers then gave a more light-hearted view on the matter.

“You just can’t do what he did and get caught. That’s my last joke on that.”

[Listen to Doc Rivers talk about Baby’s fine in detail by clicking here.]

“It’s very difficult,” Rivers said. “Some of the things we hear in the crowd is just absolutely amazing. There are times I stare up at the guy and hopefully, that menacing look will stop him and it usually doesn’t. Usually, the beer wins out. But it is tough but you have to [control yourself]. It’s not like it’s something new. It’s been going on for quite a long time, for years.”

BOSTON — Marquis Daniels has not been told a definitive date, but he hopes to return to action prior to the All-Star Break.

Daniels has been sidelined since undergoing surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left thumb in December. He had the hard cast removed on Thursday and will wear a soft cast while he continues his rehab.

His return depends on when he can regain a full range of motion in his thumb.

“Right now it’s not really painful, it’s just stiff,” he said before the Celtics – Trail Blazers game, adding, “[My return] could be earlier. It just depends on how my body reacts to it.”

Daniels expects to practice in a week or so. In the meantime, he is just happy to see the hard cast gone.

“It’s very relieving,” he said. “No more tying my hand up to take a shower, tying my shoe, all the small things. “